Just Harry
by Marybecca
Summary: As a threat of war approaches, Harry and his closest friends strengthen themselves in anticipation, and Harry strengthens his belief in love.
1. A New Year

Authors Note: Alright, here I go. Please feel free to review, flamers will be accepted.. but please, I've only just started and I'm trying! Honest! Heh.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except maybe the plot and a few characters that I needed to improve my viewpoint of the wonderfully construed world of J.K. Rowling.  
  
ON WITH THE FIC!  
  
It was a clear day on September First, and the Hogwarts Express was rolling along through the hills of England towards Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
  
Harry James Potter, a tall 17 year old, whose once lanky slim body had filled out after 6 years as Gryffindor Houses' star Seeker was glancing out of the window of the compartment he shared with his friends.  
  
"Oi! Harry! Hello!" Harry's best friend Ron Weasley shouted, grinning. Ron was one of 7 children, all of whom had fiery red hair. "Pay attention man..we're not in Binns' class YET." Harry & Ron chuckled, while Harry's other best friend, Hermione Granger, attempted to look annoyed while a smile began to play at her lips.  
  
"Sorry...I was just thinking." He replied sheepishly. Hermione nodded, smiling sweetly at him as Ron just rolled his eyes.  
  
"You've been doing a lot of that lately, and frankly, I'm starting to get worried mate." Ron replied.  
  
"RON!" Hermione exclaimed. "Really!"  
  
Before Ron could retort, the compartment door opened and Ginny Weasley, Ron's younger sister, entered. "Hey guys!"  
  
Hermione stood to give her good friend a tight hug. Harry looked at her and realized how much Ginny had changed over the years. When he had first met her, she was small, with short red hair, and an entirely innocent, babyish look about her. But now, he realized, although she was still short compared to him; her fiery red hair reached to her mid-back, her babyish look had turned more mature and there was still a hint of innocence in her eyes.  
  
"Hey there Harry." Ginny said, grinning widely at him. Harry realized almost instantly he had been staring at her. His cheeks turned a slight pink.  
  
"Ginny!" He smiled back, picking her up into his arms as he hugged her. As he placed her back onto the carpet of the train, he realized that her hair seemed even more fragrant than usual.  
  
Ginny giggled and sat two seats over from Harry. 'He is so charming,' she thought to herself. 'Whoa there Virginia,' a voice shrieked inside her mind. 'That's Harry! Just Harry!'  
  
Hermione had noticed Harry staring at Ginny and Ginny's giggling, and then noticed that Ron hadn't realized anything at all. Hermione looked from Harry to Ginny to Ron and back again and began to laugh.  
  
They all raised their eyebrows at her, but she continued to laugh. "Really! You guys just CRACK ME UP!" Harry and Ron exchanged worried glances. "Well I have to go...Head Girl duties."  
  
And with that, she flounced out of the compartment, continuing to laugh.  
  
"You know, sometimes, she scares me." Ron said, still watching the door.  
  
"Oh come on Ron!" Ginny exclaimed. "You know you fancy her..." Ron's head snapped back at her immediately.  
  
"I WHAT?!" Harry couldn't help but laugh. He loved it when Ginny made Ron freak out. "Don't you tell me you agree with her, Potter! I'll hex you into next week!"  
  
"Ronald," Ginny cut in. "You couldn't hex Harry into anything. Puuh- lease!" She giggled.  
  
'She's got such a sweet giggle,' Harry thought. 'Wait where did THAT come from?'  
  
"Anyways," She continued, "I see the way you are when the two of you are next to each other. You bodies are always turned towards each other. And your eyes have a sort of, twinkle, when you talk to her."  
  
Ron turned towards Harry with a determined look on his face. "Is this true?"  
  
Harry couldn't lie to him. "Yeah, it is Ron. And you tend to hang on her every word, too."  
  
"Well she's a bloody genius! Shouldn't we listen to a genius?"  
  
"Yes, but you hang onto her every word about EVERYTHING. As if all you want to do is listen to her voice."  
  
'Well she does have a very melodic voice...not to mention she has an angelic look about her' Ron thought to himself. At that, he began to turn crimson.  
  
"AHA!" Ginny cried. "Now you go visit that Prefect Compartment and you go ask her to be your girlfriend!" She stood up with a commanding air. "NOW!" She grabbed a strewn copy of The Daily Prophet and swatted his head with it. Ron hurried out of the compartment. Ginny turned onto Harry.  
  
"And you..Mr. Potter." Ginny said mischievously. "Since I'm in such a matchmaking mood, what about you? Who's the object of your heart's every miniscule desire?"  
  
Harry looked at her, admiring the way her eyes looked when they had a devilish look about them. He felt like pulling her into his arms, and running his hands through her wondrous hair.  
  
But instead, he stammered. "Er..no one. At least not now."  
  
Ginny did something neither of them, least of all Ginny, had ever expected. Ginny walked over and plopped onto his lap and placed her arms around his neck. "Come on Harry, " she whined. "There's got to be someone the Boy-Who-Lived fancies!"  
  
Harry stared at her, feeling himself beginning to fall into the pools that were Virginia Weasley's eyes. Ginny stared back, biting her bottom lip. Ginny could feel Harry's arms snake themselves around her waist and she found herself leaning forward, closer to his face, closer to his mesmerizing green eyes, closer to his lips, when all of a sudden, the compartment door opened.  
  
And there stood Hermione, blushing furiously at her two best friends. Harry & Ginny both broke out of their reverie and Ginny nearly leapt through the opening of the door. Harry stared after her, in an almost desiring daze.  
  
"I knew something was going on between you!" She said, closing the door behind her.  
  
"I..I dunno 'Mione. I don't know where this all came from! I mean, two months ago, she was Ginny Weasley, my best mates' little sister. And now, she's..she's...amazing." He buried his face in his hands.  
  
"Did you tell her that?"  
  
"No. Should I of?"  
  
Hermione nodded sympathetically. "I wish Ron would've come out and said it."  
  
"He didn't ask you then?"  
  
She laughed. "No. But he tried. He really tried! He was stammering, and looking at the floor, and then he ran out of the compartment to somewhere near the head of the train, and, oh, it was just so cute."  
  
Harry couldn't help but laugh. Ron really did like Hermione, after all. He thought that he liked Ginny, but he couldn't figure out where it all had come from.  
  
"I figure I'd bring him to my Head Girl's room after the feast and ask him myself." She blushed.  
  
"So you like him as well?" She nodded. "That's great 'Mione!" Harry hugged her and kissed her lightly on the head.  
  
"You should ask Ginny, you know." Hermione replied.  
  
"Yes, maybe. But not today. I want to sort out my feelings first. Make sure I really want her, you know?"  
  
Hermione nodded and took his hand. "C'mon lover boy," Harry winced. "We've got a feast to catch!"  
  
And with that, she led him out to the compartment and out of the train towards Hogwarts castle. 


	2. Awkward Silence

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. You know that. So why even ask?  
  
A/N: As always, here we go. Chapter 2! Review! Come on, you know you want to!  
  
"..And now, tuck in!"  
  
Albus Dumbledore had just finished his beginning of the year speech, and the scared little first years had been Sorted into their respective houses, and now pounds of the most delicious food appeared upon the tables in the Great Hall. Without needing to be told twice, Harry & Ron began shoveling food onto their plates as Ginny & Hermione looked at them disgustingly.  
  
"Men." The two uttered under their breaths. The boys looked up but then returned to the task at hand: eating their weight in meat pie.  
  
After a very hearty meal, the four friends began their trek to the Gryffindor Common Room. Although they were talking heartily about many different subjects, a quiet discomfort had long since begun to grow. After Hermione had whispered the password ("Lethifold.") They all settled on the couches surrounding the blazing fire. After soft, lofty, conversation, Hermione stood up and looked at Ron.  
  
"Er...Ron?" He looked up at her nervously. "I sort of need help organizing my belongings in my room, would you mind?"  
  
"Why not Ginny?"  
  
Ginny saw what Hermione was trying to do and proceeded to help it along. "Because I have to go talk to Colin about some of the Transfiguration homework we had over the holiday."  
  
Ron shrugged and followed Hermione dutifully to her Head Girl dormitory.  
  
Ginny grinned widely and screamed, "SCORE!" While Harry glanced up and began to laugh. When she turned around to face him, his laughter died off and he looked away.  
  
"Uh...Harry..about earlier.."  
  
"Ginny..I.."  
  
Their eyes locked for seconds at a time before Ginny pulled away.  
  
"Maybe we should forget about it. I really don't know what came over me."  
  
If Ginny had looked at him right then, she would have seen the glimmer of hope die away from his emerald eyes.  
  
"Oh.uhm..alright then."  
  
Ginny sat down on the couch perpendicular to Harry's and looked straight into the fire. They didn't dare speak or even look at each other.  
  
'Great move there, Potter,' Harry thought to himself. 'Awkward silence.' He wanted to look at her so badly, but found himself nervous that she'd catch his eye. But he wasn't satisfied with the awkward silence in between them.  
  
Neither was Ginny. She hoped and prayed that someone, anyone, would come and rescue one of them away from the awkward silence that had surrounded them.  
  
'This was never supposed to happen between us! Harry is the one who always saved me from the wrath of Ron's brotherly over protectiveness! We could always joke and talk about my boyfriends, or the guys I fancied!' She thought desperately.  
  
'Well not now that he's the one you want to snog senseless!' A little voice reminded her.  
  
Taking a swift glance in Harry's direction, Ginny rose slowly and mumbled a goodbye before racing off towards the Girl's Dormitory. Harry turned and watched her go, waiting until that fateful slam. Harry watched the fire dwindle for another hour before surveying the nearly empty Common Room. After waving a goodnight to Neville, Dean, and Seamus, he trudged off to the dormitory he shared with the three boys and Ron.  
  
'Ron.' He thought. Then he let out a half-hearted laugh when he realized that he hadn't seen him or Hermione since she had dragged him to her room. Nor would Harry see him until nearly after 1 a.m. when Ron tiptoed quietly into the room with a lopsided smile on his face.  
  
Within minutes, Ron began his soft snore, and Harry was still laying awake, attempting to get the picture of Ginny Weasley out of his mind.  
  
But to no avail. 


	3. Confrontations and Kisses

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. You know that.............don't you?  
  
A/N: Not that anyone reads my stories, but I've had a really bad day so I'm going to write. And write. And write...until it all washes away.  
  
Just Harry-----Chapter Three: Confrontations and Kisses  
  
For the next few weeks, Ginny noticed that Harry avoided her. But that was fine with her, since she was avoiding him right back. But it became harder and harder to, seeing as her brother Ron and her best friend Hermione were almost always off together, which meant that somehow, she and Harry would be thrown together. But the moment they both realized it, Ginny would run off for Luna or Collin, Harry for Seamus, Dean, or Neville.  
  
Neither of them wanted to run the risk of finding themselves alone together again; for fear of what they would say. Or even, do.  
  
But one night, well after midnight, Ginny sauntered quietly into the Gryffindor Common Room after a bit of a visit with Dobby, Winky, and the other House Elves. The room was quiet and dark, except for a fire brightly crackling by the hearth. She kept on walking on towards the dormitory staircases, until her foot hit against something soft and solid, and a loud screech emitted from the object.  
  
"Oh, Crookshanks, you darn cat!"  
  
Then:  
  
"Ginny?" Harry's soft whisper came from the couch to her right.  
  
"Yeah, Harry, it's me. What're you doing up?"  
  
His head appeared, his hands reaching up to place his glasses back on. "I couldn't sleep. And what about you?"  
  
"Kitchens."  
  
"Ahh."  
  
"Mmhmm. Yup."  
  
"So."  
  
"So."  
  
"Gin, I...err...we need to stop doing this."

"The awkward silences? The avoiding? The running?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
She sighed in relief and made her way to the chair facing Harry's couch. "Gosh, I was waiting for one of us to crack!"  
  
He laughed, his bright green eyes twinkling, but in the next instant, they turned somber. "We need to talk about what happened on the train.....what's happening now......what we want to happen later."  
  
"Yeah. Look.....on the train, what I did, I couldn't help myself. I mean, Jeez, has anyone ever told you how absolutely gorgeous you are?!"  
  
Harry blushed and looked away.  
  
"Its true, you know. Anyways....and this whole avoiding you thing...well, being away from you just made me realize how much I like you and how much sometimes I just want to kiss you...---  
  
"You want to...what?"  
  
"Crap.....I said that out loud, didn't I?"  
  
"Yeah....uhm...yeah. You did."  
  
Now it was Ginny's turn to blush as red as her hair, while Harry looked just as uncomfortable.  
  
"Well, since I've already embarrassed myself enough here...." Ginny stood up from her chair and walked towards him. And before he could stop her, she kissed him tentatively on the lips, her lips hesitantly lingering, waiting for his response. When no response came, she began to pull away, until she felt his hand steady on the small of her back, his lips softening to hers.  
  
She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pressed her down so she was settled on his lap, as they both instinctively deepened the kiss. After a few moments, they stopped, lips swollen, pupils dilated.  
  
"Wow." Was all Harry could say.  
  
She smiled. "You said it."  
  
"Bed?"  
  
"Yours or mine?" Ginny smirked.

> They both laughed. Harry kissed her again, pulling away reluctantly. He scooped Ginny up in his arms carrying her towards the staircases. He let her onto her feet lightly, giving in to the urge to cup her face in his hands and kiss her again.  
  
After saying goodnight over ten times each, they both finally reached the doors to their separate dormitories and then they both disappeared, fighting the urge to run out to one another again.


End file.
